Justice For Chandler Innarelli

Oct 8

Written By Kristen Seavey

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The murder of Chandler Innarelli

Chandler Innarelli was shot as he sat in a vehicle in Manchester, New Hampshire.

He was parked in a residential alley, and its asphalt paving had seen better days. It’s a densely-populated area dominated by apartment houses. In this particular neighborhood the streets are laid out on a grid, and this alley serves two streets: Bell and Grove. The alley itself shows up on Google Maps with the name “Grove Street South Back.” From the alley, you would be looking at the back sides of the apartment houses that run up and down those streets, and you would be looking at cars that are parked in small, paved, tenant-parking areas.

Though the alley was not well-lit, it was well-used—there was regular car and foot traffic from the tenants. Plus, there were many windows that overlooked the alley. This particular evening was a normal Wednesday—a day when adults went to work and kids went to school. It was February 19th, 2020, and the COVID pandemic was just about to begin. The blinds on those windows might have been closed, though, since it was night time. Likely the windows glowed from interior lights and TV sets within the apartment units—people just going about their nightly routines.

It was wintertime, and days were short. The sun had set that evening at 5:21PM. It was 7:45PM when the shots rang out—over 2 hours since sundown—and it was dark. The moonrise wouldn’t be until 4:18AM, so there was nothing in the sky but the reflected glow of the city and a few wispy clouds. It was a crisp 32 degrees and there was but a faint breeze.

There are a number of freestanding garage structures along the alley that can create some nooks and crannies where visibility is poor, but even still, these structures are only a single level, and the apartment houses that line the alley are mostly three-story. Any resident peering out upon the alleyway from their high vantage after the gunfire ceased might have caught a glimpse of Chandler, and, perhaps, of the shooter.

Chandler’s girlfriend, Keona, had just given birth in November of 2019 to their son, Jahmel. Chandler was waiting in hervehicle in this dark alley, right behind her apartment house on Bell Street. She was supposed to come out to meet up with him and bring their infant son, too. They were going to go over to Chandler’s sister’s house. I believe Chandler was in the driver’s seat, planning to drive the three of them over to his sister’s.

That meeting never happened.

One resident later told WMUR, “[after hearing the gunshots] I yelled at my girl to get on the ground. I looked out the window. I didn’t see anything. I went outside, and I saw the car window blown up.” By ‘blown up,’ I presume that he means that the glass had been shattered, likely by bullet, which suggests that Chandler had his window rolled up, and that the assailant was shooting through the glass at him as he sat in the driver’s seat. (Police have not revealed whether they suspect one or more shooters.)

Someone called the cops, and as soon as they got there they realized that Chandler was in critical condition. He had been struck by some of those bullets. Residents reported hearing 4 to 5 gunshots. Of those, 3 to 4 hit him. He was struck in the shoulder, the hand, and then there was the fatal bullet that, after ricocheting around in his abdomen, went to his heart. Judging by the imprecise shooting, I imagine that the shooter was not right up next to the glass—they likely were a short distance away, perhaps closing that distance as they shot round after round into the vehicle.

He was rushed to Elliot Hospital, which was just 1 mile away, but it was too late. The gunshots happened at about 7:47PM. Medical staff pronounced him dead at 8:14PM. That’s about 30 minutes, and it does not appear that Chandler was conscious for any of that time.

And that was it—that was the end of Chandler’s brief but vibrant 22 years of life.

Chandler’s life

Chandler was Amy’s second child, born June 24, 1997. Her first, a daughter named Ava-Loren that she had when she was just 18, was born four years earlier in November of 1993. She was Chandler’s older sister. They shared the same parents, Amy and Fred. When Chandler was 2, Amy and Fred split.

From the very first years of Chandler’s life, he was a handful. Amy was trying to balance work with taking care of two children, and it was difficult. She was a hard worker, returning to work just 3 weeks after Chandler was born.

His first daycare arrangement was with a teacher who had decades of experience with children, but he was kicked out because he was “too much” for the teacher and the other kids. She found other daycare options at Kindercare, at the YMCA, and a place called Little Angels. And one-by-one, they, too, booted Chandler from their programs.

Amy: Chandler wasn't wired the same way, uh, as most of us are. I felt like with him, we're trying to fit a square block into a circular hole. You know, raising Chandler required a ton of patience.

But despite the behavioral trouble he was having, his teachers loved him. He had ruddy cheeks and short blonde hair with a determined cowlick right at his hairline that went straight up. His preschool teacher, described him as energetic, having a brilliant smile, and affectionate. She said, “He went full-in at everything he did, which could be challenging.” Amy said that he was “joking around even from a young age. [He was] charming... hard to stay mad at.” Amy would be mid-lecture and he’d say, “I love you.” His crystal-blue eyes, big smiles, and loving hugs would melt her anger.

In first grade he was enrolled in a Catholic school in Manchester called Saint Benedict’s, but he only lasted 3 months before being transferred to Webster Elementary. It was at the end that year that Amy was approached by the school to have him tested by a psychologist. He was diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, or ADHD, for short. They said that “he wasn’t succeeding and was too much of a distraction to others.” Amy “gave in,” and agreed to put him on medication. And at the beginning of his 2nd grade year, the school put Chandler in a “self-contained classroom,” which was somewhat of a catch-all for students with various disabilities that weren’t able to fit into the regular classrooms.

Amy didn’t believe that Chandler was thriving in this environment—in fact, she thought it was making things worse. She equated it to, basically, a babysitting room for kids that weren’t able to fit into the mainstream classrooms. He was picking up negative behaviors from other children and learning to manipulate the adults. There was less accountability, and he continued to fall further behind academically. He was capable of doing much of the work, but the teachers weren’t able to get him to focus.

Amy: He would get very, very upset and annoyed with other things that were going on in the classroom. So then his responses or reactions were, you know, clearly not appropriate. He would, he would scream or, you know, swear at them, and then the teachers would come down on him and he felt that was unjust. So that was, it was just a vicious cycle. With each year his behaviors got worse where he started threatening people or throwing chairs or whatever the case may be. It was insane and I kept saying, let's get him out of here. Let's get him into mainstream. He can do this.

When he was out of school, it was “Hard to keep tabs on him. He was a wanderer.” Amy spent many afternoons and evenings driving around, looking for him, even from a young age, and she’d find him at the basketball court, the woods, the pool, etc...

And she said, “[He] didn’t have real friends when he was young. He just did his own thing. He was popular and well-loved, but he always went out by himself. He knew how to entertain himself.” I imagine him as an absent-minded explorer, oblivious of danger, losing track of time and, sometimes, his own things. Amy said, “He had over 10 bikes that were either lost or stolen.”

Amy tried to channel some of that energy into sports. He played T-ball one season and soccer for one season, but nothing stuck. He loved playing sports, but when it came to the structure of teams and practice, he didn’t like that. As he grew older, he came to love basketball a great deal, but he never played on a team.

He did two years of karate and earned his green belt, but like many other things in Chandler’s life, it was short-lived.

Chandler struggled to regulate his emotions. He struggled with executive dysfunction—that is, impulse control, directing focus, starting tasks, planning and goal-setting.

Still, he was a bright and curious boy who loved books. Amy said that “[he] loved science books... magic books... loved to read the Guinness Book of World Records and spurt out facts.” He kept a copy of the Bible in his room and Amy would often find him reading it on his own volition. He was fascinated with the weather. He was good at board games—particularly word games like Scrabble and Bananagrams.

In 2009, when Chandler was 12 years old, Amy starting dating her future husband, Michael. Michael was straitlaced and couldn’t understand why Chandler couldn’t just get it together. Their conflict persisted for many years.

Amy worked for years to try and get him back into a regular classroom setting, and he had a few opportunities to do so, even making honor roll once or twice. But after 7 years in and out of a self-contained classroom environment (all the way through 8th grade), he entered high school, and Amy got her wish. It was a huge change. He was behind the other kids and didn’t know what to do.

In 2012, Chandler was 15 years old, and the conflict with Amy came to a head. Something had to change.

She had been researching the troubled teen industry and was looking for a program that could help Chandler. She found one in North Carolina called SUWS. The initialism originally stood for “The School of Urban and Wilderness Survival,” but by 2012 they had invented a new meaning: “Structure, Unconditional support, Wilderness impact, and Success.” Whatever the meaning, one of its fundamental tenets was putting kids into nature and teaching them survival skills.

Though it was very expensive—tens of thousands of dollars—Amy decided to pull the trigger. It was one of the most difficult decisions that she ever faced.

Amy: My husband and I flew to North Carolina for Chandler's graduation of the program.
We attended a two-day parenting workshop before we could even see him. And on the third day is when we were able to see Chandler. And we all hiked up to a spot and set up camp not too far from base, and there were several other families that were reuniting with their sons as well.
All of the participants were supposed to show us the skills that they learned using a bow drill to start a fire and cook for us. However, during family time, we had to go over the house rules and Chandler grew angry, threw a fit, left us and didn't come back. And he stayed at the base in his bunk and there we were in the woods, hungry, sleeping on the ground.
And it was then that I saw that the risk outweighed the reward. So, the next morning Chandler went to base, I'm sorry, Chandler went to base and we headed home and Chandler never fully forgave me. For sending him there and truly that was the root of a lot of the issues with me that just never got over.

Chandler felt betrayed and their already-fraught relationship was shattered.

It was during this experience that Chandler was diagnosed with ODD, or “Oppositional Defiance Disorder.” ODD is characterized by an angry and irritable mood, and argumentative, defiant, hurtful, or vindictive behavior. It is often accompanies ADHD.

After this experience he returned to high school, but continued to struggle. Ultimately, he dropped out after accumulating enough credits to be considered a sophomore.

When Chandler turned 20, he finally got his driver’s license.

It was around this point that Chandler and Amy had a pretty memorable dinner together:

Amy: Chandler and I had dinner plans on Saturday night and Chandler, being Chandler, asked if his stepbrother could come and I said, sure, and it then turned into two friends and then four friends ended up showing up.
I wasn't sure what I was going to be getting myself into, but I'd say that this night my heart was filled with joy. I can't even express what an enjoyable time I had with these young men, you know, and more importantly Chandler.
It was a very eclectic group of friends that all hung out, chowing down, laughing... I asked one of the young men, how did you meet Chandler? And he explained they went to junior high school together and that one day he was getting bullied and Chandler stepped in and stuck up for him and they didn't know each other at the time, but they became fast friends. That was Chandler. He always stood up for the underdog and injustices.

Keona and Jahmel

At the beginning of 2019, Chandler met a young woman named Keona through her little brother—Chandler was teaching him to play basketball on neighborhood courts. They developed a romantic interest in one another.

In June of 2019, Chandler broke the news to Amy that he was going to be a dad. He was in the ER for a medical procedure when he called Amy, who was working in Massachusetts that day. She left work to go meet him, and when he got out, she was sitting in the parking lot. They talked for about an hour about his dreams and the future. Amy was concerned because he wasn’t working consistently, and she was worried how they would be able to provide for the baby, but she was certain that he would be a great dad.

On November 2nd, 2019, Jahmel was born. He was a healthy child.

Chandler felt a huge shift in his life and the mantle of responsibility that had just arrived, and he found a sense of purpose. He was taking positive steps to get his life on track and setting goals for the future. But he had no idea that this would be the final 3 ½ months of his life.

On the night of Wednesday, February 19th, 2020, Amy talked to Chandler for the last time, just 30 minutes before he was shot and killed. At 7:15PM she had a 4-minute facetime call with him. It was dark. He said that he was on his way to his sister’s and was just waiting for Keona and Jahmel to come out. When Amy hung up their call, it was the last time she would ever speak to her son.

Chandler’s Funeral

An obituary for Chandler was published the next day by Phaneuf Funeral Homes. It encouraged people to donate to a trust that was established for his son, Jahmel.

A candlelight vigil was held at the Beech Street basketball courts, which were just a quarter mile from Keona’s apartment. About 40 friends and family members attended.

On Monday there was a three-hour visitation at a funeral home in downtown Manchester. Amy said “The room was packed. Chandler was an interesting person and had friends from all walks of life. I didn’t realize how loved he was until his funeral. It was standing-room only.

Amy: Losing a child changes you on a cellular level. I lost a piece of me that night, and it's changed my soul. It's changed how I think about things. It's changed how I react to things. It's changed who I am. And it's complicated in so many ways. In so many ways, I'm calmer, I'm kinder, more patient. But at the same time, I'm reserved and disconnected but more connected than ever, you know, especially spiritually and within the community and my loved ones.

Amy’s efforts

On March 28th, about a month after Chandler’s death, Amy formed a Facebook page called “Justice for Chandler.” She began to share her personal journey in a way that was raw, vulnerable, and powerful.

People would write her, saying of their own sons, “We’ve struggled with so many of the same things. I don’t know how to help him. Thank you for showing me that I’m not alone.”

Amy started raising money for things that Chandler cared about—to improve his favorite basketball court. She raised money for his son. She organized a big fundraising event for the biker community called “Chandler’s Ride,” and in its inaugural year, raised $13,000 that went to Jahmel’s trust fund.

Amy also started connecting with the community where Chandler was living. She regularly put up flyers and spoke with people in the community about the murder and about Chandler’s life. From pounding the pavement she learned more about the positive impact that Chandler had on so many lives.

She went up to a group of three older men that were sitting on a wall and asked them if they knew Chandler. She was wearing a “Justice for Chandler” t-shirt, which she pointed to. One of the men, who was missing his lower legs, started crying.

Amy: And he said, yes, we knew and loved Chandler. He was such a good kid. And they further went on to tell me that Chandler would always talk to them and check in on them. And the man without legs was visibly sad, and he just kept staring at my shirt and me, and He said, he had your eyes and he cried some more, you know, um, I enjoyed, I enjoyed my time speaking with them and, you know, many others in the community and they all had similar reactions when speaking about Chandler.

People called him a “child whisperer,” because he so naturally was able to connect with kids and help them.

Amy: He had the patience of a saint with all children. We always said it was his superpower. Children naturally always gravitated towards him and immediately loved him and vice versa. He never grew tired of children hanging off his legs, calling his names, you know, for attention or listening to endless questions, ramblings, or knock knock jokes...

Amy was burning the candle at both ends, working full time, taking a big role in Jahmel’s life, fundraising, organizing events, putting up flyers, and keeping the pressure on the Manchester PD. She set up quarterly meetings with the prosecutor’s office to discuss the case, and to this day they are regularly in touch. When she sends them an email, they respond. When she calls them on the phone, they answer.

On the one-year anniversary of Chandler’s death Amy organized a vigil at the Beech Street basketball courts. More than 50 people gathered in the snowy New England winter. 2 kids approached Amy and told her how much Chandler had influenced them. Amy later said that it was in this moment that she imagined a charity called “Chandler’s Angels” that would give back to the community and support kids like Chandler that fell through the cracks in the public education system.

And in Amy Innarelli fashion, within one year, she applied for and was granted 501c3 status for her non-profit, “Chandler’s Angels.” Some of the missions of the organization are to honor Chandler and bring awareness to his case, sponsor community events, organize basketball games, support local organizations that serve Manchester’s youth, to keep kids off the streets and provide safe places for them to congregate, and funding for CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy).

Amy has become a supporter of some key Manchester organizations: Kelly Street Projects, the Manchester Police Athletic League, and especially My Turn.

Amy: “I think My Turn's approach is key. They just offer comprehensive career services, academic support, removing the critical barriers that impact their success. And they do it holistically. They have an ongoing approach that empowers and supports the participants through their life. They don't just age out and then they’re done.

My Turn helps kids complete their high school education, get vocational training, and lines them up with valuable work experience and internships.

Amy: I wonder if I knew about my turn then perhaps Chandler would have seen and believed in his potential in himself and not seeking acceptance in the wrong places. And ultimately maybe he would be here today.

Jahmel will be part of Chandler’s legacy. And hopefully the changes in Manchester’s community will have a positive impact on Jahmel’s life.

Amy: Although he won't remember his father, we hope that one day he'll comprehend the profound impact his father had on many lives. And we aim to instill in him the value of giving back and being part of a greater cause. His participation is essential in raising awareness about the impact of gun violence. He is warmly embraced by teenagers and is considered the community's little brother. And it's really wonderful to see.

Justice for Chandler

Amy will not rest until there is justice for her son. She has heard things in her many hours of putting up flyers and interacting with the community, but there is a palpable fear that people have. People just don’t want to get involved.

Amy: The police need several key pieces of information to solve this case and the public's help is crucial in providing this and first and foremost, we need anyone with relevant information to come forward and share what they know...
This includes individuals that maybe have witnessed the crime or have heard something that could be valuable to the investigation and not be afraid to come forward in it. Additionally, the police need to need the public to trust them with the information that they have. And it's understandable that people may feel more comfortable sharing information with me, but it's essential that they share this information directly with authorities.
This ensures that the information is properly documented and can be used effectively in the investigation. Overall, the police need the support and cooperation of the community to solve Chandler's case. By working together and sharing information, we can help bring justice to Chandler and our family.
But we need the public's help.

The police have been quiet about the case, releasing little to no information about their investigation to the public. We reached out to the Manchester PD, and they provided us with a statement about Chandler’s case. In part, it reads,

It has been over four years since 22-year-old Chandler Innarelli was killed. The Manchester PD and the New Hampshire Office of the Attorney General continue to investigate the circumstances of his death.
On February 19, 2020, Chandler Innarelli was shot and killed while he was seated inside of a vehicle in Manchester, New Hampshire. The shooting occurred in the area of Union Street between Bell and Grove Streets. His death was caused by multiple gunshot wounds and was determined to be a homicide.
We want to convey our admiration and respect for the continued dedication of Chandler’s family and loved ones, especially his mother Amy, in working to get Chandler’s murder case solved.

If you have any information about the murder, no matter how trivial, please contact Detective Sergeant Ryan Brandreth (at 603-792-5545) or Detective Timothy Carter (at 603-668-8711). If you would prefer to remain anonymous, contact the Manchester CrimeLine at 603-6247-4040, which offers cash rewards.

This text has been adapted from the Murder, She Told podcast episode, Justice For Chandler Innarelli. To hear Chandler’s full story with Amy’s interview, find Murder, She Told on your favorite podcast platform.

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Chandler Innarelli with mom and sister (gunmemorial.org)

Chandler Innarelli with sister, Ava-Loren (Phaneuf)

Chandler Innarelli, studying karate (Phaneuf)

Chandler Innarelli at SUWS in North Carolina (Facebook)

Chandler coming home from SUWS camp (Facebook)

Chandler with sister, Ava-Loren (Phaneuf)

Chandler Innarelli with his first car (Facebook)

Chandler Innarelli with son, Jahmel (Phaneuf)

Keona's Bell Street residence in Manchester—Chandler was killed in the alley behind (Google Maps)

Crime scene photo (Manchester Information)

A braided lock of hair kept as a keepsake by Amy (Facebook)

Amy Innarelli and non-profit foundation Chandler's Angels Initiative (Manchester InkLink)

Amy Innarelli, Ava-Loren, Jahmel, and family (Facebook)

Memorial plaque and bench for Chandler (Facebook)

Sources For This Episode

Newspaper articles

Various articles from the Concord Monitor and the New Hampshire Union Leader, here. Written by John Angelo, Josie Albertson-Grove, Mark Hayward, and Paul Feely.

Online written sources

'SUWS Frequently Asked Questions' (Archive.org), 8/27/2011

'Chandler Innarelli Obituary' (Phaneuf Funeral Home), 2/19/2020

'In Memory of Chandler Innarelli - Trust Fund for Chandler's son Jahmel' (Ever Loved), 2/20/2020

'Chandler Innarelli, age 22' (National Gun Violence Memorial), 2/20/2020

'Manchester shooting victim identified; death ruled homicide' (WMUR), 2/20/2020, by Andy Hershberger

'Untitled' (Facebook), 2/20/2020, by Keona Alston

'Officials: Manchester, NH man's shooting death ruled a homicide' (WHDH), 2/20/2020, by Brynne Connolly

'Chandler Innarelli' (Find a Grave), 2/22/2020

'Justice For Chandler - Family Facebook Page' (Facebook), 3/28/2020, by Innarelli Family

'(photo post)' (Facebook), 4/24/2020, by Amy Innarelli

'(photo post)' (Facebook), 9/23/2020, by Amy Innarelli